FIG. 17 shows a filling device for filling a vial with tablets in which a cap 210 is put on a vial 220 to seal in tablets. A medicinal information label 221 for a patient is affixed to the side surface of the vial 220. The vial 220, which has been in use for a long period of time, is devised so as to prevent an infant from opening the vial easily. That is, to open it, it is necessary to press the upper surface of the cap against the vial while turning the cap, so even an adult cannot open the cap easily, which results in a bother.
As shown in FIG. 18A, the cap 210 has an inner cover 211 on its inner side. A flange portion 212 of the inner cover 211 is held by engagement portions 213 protruding on the inner side of the cap 210. As shown in FIG. 18B, the engagement portions 213 is engaged with engagement grooves 223 of rotation restricting portions 222 of the vial 220, whereby the cap 210 is locked to the vial 220. The inner cap 211 is equipped with a tension protrusion 214; when the cap 210 is locked to the vial 220, the tension protrusion 214 comes into contact with the inner surface of the cap 210 to raise the cap 210, acting thereon so as to maintain the engagement of the engagement portions 213 and the engagement grooves 223. A moisture-proof ring 215 provided on the inner cover 211 of the vial comes into contact with the inner wall of the vial 220. Since it is equipped with an escape portion 216, the moisture-proof ring 215 reliably comes into contact with the inner periphery of the vial 220, so the tablets absorb no moisture and their quality is maintained. When the cap 210 is pressed against the vial 220, the tension protrusion 214 is crushed, and the engagement portions 213 are detached from the engagement grooves 223 of the rotation restricting portions 222. When, in this state, the cap 210 is turned counterclockwise, the cap 210 can be opened.
The cap 210 and the vial 220, which are constructed as described above, involve a rather bothersome operation. As a result, in recent years, a combination of a vial 1 and a cap 2 as shown in FIG. 19 has come to be sold and put into use. The vial 1 has a structure for preventing an infant from accidental swallowing. The vial 1 has a vial outer periphery thread 4 on the outer peripheral surface of a vial opening 3, and an inner periphery thread 5 on the inner peripheral surface thereof. The cap 2 has a cap inner periphery thread 6 on the inner peripheral surface thereof which is to be threadedly engaged with the vial outer periphery thread 4 of the vial 1. Further, in order to be capable of being threadedly engaged also with the vial inner periphery thread 5 provided at the opening 3 of the vial 1, the cap 2 has a small diameter portion 8 whose diameter is smaller than that of a large diameter portion 7 on which the cap inner periphery thread 6 is provided, with a cap outer periphery thread 9 being provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
The vial 1 has a disc-like flange 10 which is partially cut-away so that it may substantially come into contact with the lower edge of the cap 2 when the cap inner periphery thread 6 of the cap 2 is threadedly engaged with the vial outer periphery thread 4. Further, the vial 1 has, in the cut-away portion of the flange 10, a lever 11 whose distal end can be pushed down, with the lever 11 being equipped with a rotation restricting member 12 formed of an elastic latch member protruding obliquely upwards. Further, the cap 2 has a protrusion-like engagement portion 13 at the lower end of the inner surface thereof; when the inner periphery thread 6 of the cap 2 is threadedly engaged with the vial outer periphery thread 4 of the vial 1, the engagement portion 13 climbs over the rotation restricting member 12 while pushing it down and, afterwards, the rotation restricting member 12 protrudes upwardly again due to its elasticity. Even if an attempt is made to turn the cap 2 in the opening direction, the engagement portion 13 abuts the rotation restricting member 12 to restrict the rotation of the cap 2. Thus, in order to detach the cap 2 from the vial 1, it is necessary to turn the cap 2, with the lever 11 being pushed down to downwardly retract the rotation restricting member 12 below the engagement portion 13. Since an infant is incapable of performing such an operation, it is possible to prevent accidental swallowing. Further, when there is no fear of an infant touching the vial 1, the cap 2 is turned upside down, and the outer periphery thread 9 of the cap 2 is threadedly engaged with the vial inner periphery thread 5 of the vial 1. As a result, the rotation restricting member 12 is not engaged with the engagement member 13, and the cap can close the vial so as to easily allow its detachment, so the user feels no bother.
In conventional vial capping devices, it is necessary to rotate one of a mechanism for holding the vial and the other mechanism for holding the cap to lock or threadedly engage the cap to or with the vial, resulting in a rather complicated device structure. Further, in some cases, the holding of the cap is rather insufficient, and the cap spins, resulting in a rather insufficient tightening of the cap. In particular, in the case of a capping device for threadedly engaging the cap 2 with the vial 1 shown in FIG. 19, it is necessary to hold the cap 2, which is of a complicated configuration due to the provision of the small diameter portion 8 equipped with the cap outer periphery thread 9, resulting in problems such as a rather complicated device structure, a poor reliability in holding, and defective tightening due to spinning of the cap.